Reparations was added as part of the Just Economy and Community Development platform by a vote of the membership in October 2020 and is being launched in 2022 with our Martin Luther King Jr. Faith in Action Assembly. Here are some ways you can take action today!

Community Renewal Society (CRS) member congregations, board members, volunteers and staff joined with 17 community organizations to protest this life-threatening situation and to deliver 62,250 bottles of safe and clean water

On January 1, 2022, portions of the Pretrial Fairness Act will go into effect and expand the rights of people incarcerated in their homes on electronic monitoring (EM).

Executive Director, Rev. Dr. Waltrina Middleton, reflects on all the work we’ve been doing to advocate for social and economic justice and eliminate barriers of race and class over the past year.

Our worlds have been turned upside down in the last 20 months, as we have adapted how we worship, work, educate our children, grocery shop, and so much more. This has also been a time when many of us more fully realized the stark injustice of income inequality and its suffocating impact.

On Friday, July 2, 2021, Superintendent David Brown appeared at Chicago’s City Council to answer questions regarding the Chicago Police Department’s strategy to address gun violence over the Fourth of July weekend. During his remarks, the Superintendent repeatedly fell back on the same false narratives about pretrial justice reforms that the police and City have been using for the last several years.

Over the last several months, Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown and Mayor Lori Lightfoot have repeatedly tried to blame pretrial justice reforms for the city’s gun violence without being able to back up their claims with anything more than fear.

Your voice is needed! Grassroots organizing and public policy advocacy requires consistent work by individuals, especially those from communities most impacted by systemic racism and structural inequality.

In this new America, we not only acknowledge the harm done by slavery, but we also invest in the lives and communities of Black folks who continue to reel from hundreds of years of economic devastation caused by slavery, Jim Crow, red-lining, the war on drugs and the prison industrial complex.

Congratulations to our member congregations and dedicated volunteers. In the recent lame duck session of the Illinois General Assembly, Community Renewal Society won many historic changes which will help end systemic racism. Join us in celebrating the passing of four monumental victories.

Individuals from around the country can join the effort for record turnout in the runoffs.

Community Renewal Society congratulates President-elect Joseph Robinette (Joe) Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Devi Harris.

Illinois incarcerates thousands of people like Jason every year—not because they're guilty of a crime but because they can't afford to pay a money bond.

The Vote YES for Fair Tax campaign has been an important part of our Just Economy for Safe Communities platform for many years and this week is Faith Week for Fair Tax!

Ending money bond is an essential part of the calls by millions of people to make Black lives matter. The time is now! Learn more here.

Read what people are saying about the Fair Tax.

I call upon faith leaders, houses of worship, and people of conscience to join me in publicly affirming the referendum on a fair tax

CRS stands in solidarity with its community partners and is committed to supporting local community efforts. Please share this list of Chicago food pantries widely with your networks and consider supporting if you are able. Together, we will heal, rebuild, and rise.

During this pandemic, fair tax reform is needed now more than ever. According to Governor Pritzker, projections show a possible 2021 deficit of more than $7 billion.

CRS stands with our brothers and sisters at the Chicago Community Bond Fund in their fight to free people from their bonds. Click to read our full statement.